Systems and methods for hybrid radio communication for medical telemetry

ABSTRACT

A portable telemetry device includes a measurement component, a unidirectional radio, a bidirectional radio, and a communication component. The measurement component is configured to receive, from at least one sensor, physiological data representative of a physiological condition of a patient. The unidirectional radio is configured to transmit signals in a first wireless frequency band. The bidirectional radio is configured to transmit and receive signals in a second wireless frequency band different from the first wireless frequency band. The communication component is configured to transmit the physiological data using the unidirectional radio and transmit and receive control data using the bidirectional radio.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to medical monitoring and moreparticularly relates to systems, methods, and devices for hybrid radiocommunication for medical telemetry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a portable telemetrydevice in communication with a telemetry system, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a portable telemetrydevice, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a telemetry system,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portable telemetry devicein different communication environments, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method forwireless telemetry, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method forwireless telemetry, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating components of aportable telemetry device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Modern technology practice makes extensive use of electronic monitoringof vital signs and other physiological parameters of patients. In somecases, remote monitoring of physiological parameters, or telemetry, isused to allow nurses, doctors, and/or computing devices to determine thehealth of a patient or detect problems with the patient when the nurseor doctor is not present with the patient. In some cases, wirelesstelemetry devices worn by a patient may allow the patient to move aroundand/or be easily moved between locations while maintaining monitoring ofthe patient's vital signs.

One example of a portable telemetry device is the Mindray Telepack®which uses proprietary one-way radios (transmit only) operating invery-high frequency (VHF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) wireless bandsto stream patient data over an antenna system to a receiver. In theUnited States, the wireless medical telemetry service (WMTS) providesdedicated protected bands which have been allocated for this purpose andwhich many hospitals prefer to use over the more widely used industrial,scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bands. Currently the WMTS provideslicensed bands in a 608 to 614 megahertz (MHz) range (also known as the608 MHz band), a 1395 to 1400 MHz range (also known as the 1400 MHzband), and a 1427 to 1432 MHz range. The ISM bands include the popular2.4 gigahertz (GHz) range (which currently includes frequencies from 2.4to 2.5 GHz) range and a 5 GHZ range (which currently includesfrequencies from 5.725 to 5.875 GHz) which may be used by routers,wireless home telephones, or the like. Additionally, the FederalCommunication Commission (FCC) in the United States is contemplatingother potential bands such as a 3 GHz band for medical applications anda 2.3 GHz band for medical body area networks (MBANs). Other frequenciesand frequency bands are set aside for use by specific companies orproviders, such as cellular phone service providers. For example,wireless service providers may use licensed spectrums for communicationwith smartphones, tablets, wireless hotspots, or other mobilecommunication devices.

Note that the designation of frequencies or frequency bands for aspecific purpose, whether licensed or unlicensed, may be under thecontrol of a governmental body or standard setting organization. Thus,frequencies and frequency bands set aside for various purposes aresubject to change over time and also can vary between differentcountries or geographic regions. For example, the FCC may eliminate,add, narrow, broaden, or create new licensed or designated bands.Furthermore, different countries may set aside different frequencies orfrequency bands for medical, cellular, industrial, or other services.Although the present disclosure generally discusses embodiments inrelation to licensed and/or designated frequencies within the UnitedStates, the present disclosure also contemplates and encompassesembodiments having modifications or variations for other countries orchanges to designated frequency bands within a country.

Currently, hospitals and other medical providers often use the WMTSbands over the ISM bands because they require less active management andpresent a smaller patient safety risk. For example, because there isarguably less chance of interference in the licensed frequencies, thereis a reduced likelihood that a patient's signals will be lost or notreceived and that a nurse, doctor, or monitoring system will fail todetect problems with the patient. As used herein the terms “protected”and “licensed” radio bands are given to mean that use of wirelesscarrier wave frequencies within a specific range are set aside for aspecific purpose, industry, or entities and/or cannot be used withoutregistering usage with a regulating body.

Some telemetry devices may use the same protected WMTS bands but havebidirectional radios which allow the device to have additionalfunctionality and act more like a stand-alone patient monitor becausethey are able to receive, as well as send, data. Unfortunately,off-the-shelf commercially available radios are generally not availablefor the protected WMTS bands, and designing proprietary solutions forthese bidirectional radios is quite complex and expensive. For example,since the quantities for these radios that operate on protectedfrequencies are relatively small, the radios and access points areexpensive to produce. Furthermore, significant costs for developing newcommunication protocols are also required. Even with these efforts todevelop bidirectional radios, resulting data rates are still very lowand power consumption is increased when compared with a unidirectionalradio or off-the-shelf radios for ISM bands.

To overcome the expense, low data rates, and high energy usage whilestill allowing for bidirectional communication, the present disclosureproposes that patient-worn telemetry devices use hybrid radio systems,methods, and devices. According to one embodiment, a patient worntelemetry device or other portable telemetry device includes ameasurement component, a unidirectional radio, a bidirectional radio,and a communication component. The measurement component is configuredto receive, from at least one sensor, physiological data representativeof a physiological condition of a patient. The unidirectional radio isconfigured to transmit signals in a first wireless frequency band andthe bidirectional radio is configured to transmit and receive signals ina second wireless frequency band that does not overlap with the firstwireless frequency band. The communication component is configured totransmit the physiological data using the unidirectional radio andtransmit and receive control data using the bidirectional radio.

For example, the unidirectional radio may include a VHF/UHF radio in aprotected radio band while the bidirectional radio may include anoff-the-shelf radio such as a radio that implements an institute forelectrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (known toindustry groups as Wi-Fi), such as an 802.11 a, b, g, or n radiostandard. In one embodiment, the bidirectional radio may include a radiothat operates within a licensed cellular spectrum. For example, thebidirectional radio may implement a 3G, LTE, or any other wirelesscommunication standard. The unidirectional radio may be used to achievea low technology and low patient risk for communication of continuous orfrequent patient information such as physiological waveforms, measuredparameters, and/or alarm information. Use of a unidirectional radio thatoperates in a protected band will provide the dependability that medicalteams need for life-critical information. The off-the-shelf radio willbe used to listen and respond to commands to the device. For example,these commands may be included in control data to configure operation ofthe portable telemetry device such as by setting alarm limits, resettingalarms, transferring stored data, etc.

With regard to energy usage, the unidirectional radio will consume lesspower than a bidirectional radio, especially for radios in a protectedband. Also, the duty cycle for the bidirectional radio may be reduced orvery low since many control activities may be very infrequently used.For example, the bidirectional radio may only be required to receiveand/or transmit data a few times per hour so the power consumption forthis radio should be minimal. In one embodiment, because there are tworadios, the portable telemetry device may provide a backup feature wherethe bidirectional radio can take over for the unidirectional radio ifthe patient moves outside of a range for the unidirectional radio but isstill in range for the bidirectional radio.

The use of a bidirectional radio and unidirectional radio may provide aplurality of benefits and advantages. For example, design complexity isreduced because unidirectional systems are much simpler andbidirectional communication is provided using common off-the-shelfparts. Furthermore, high-speed off-the-shelf radios could be used forsome features that require high-speed communications. As discussedabove, if the unidirectional radio fails, the bidirectional radio can beactivated as a backup. This backup feature provides for improved patientsafety. In addition, the use of two radios and the ability to routephysiological data over the bidirectional radio may allow a patient toroam out of conventional monitoring ranges. For example, some parts of ahospital may provide Wi-Fi coverage without providing coverage for alicensed unidirectional radio. As another example, cellular coverage maybe available within the hospital or regions of the hospital as well as asurrounding region. Furthermore, the same portable telemetry device maybe used for in-hospital, in-ambulance, and/or in-home scenarios wherecoverage for WMTS frequencies are not available. For example, medicalpersonnel may not need to switch telemetry devices and/or sensors asthey transition from a home or an ambulance, where coverage for WMTSprotected bands may not be available, to a hospital, where coverage forthe WMTS protected bands may be available and preferred. As anotherexample, the same portable telemetry device may be capable of connectingto Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks, and/or hospital WMTS networks.Thus, increased coverage may be available to allow for reduced effort intransporting a patient and/or increasing reliability of monitoring thepatient.

In a further embodiment, a portable telemetry device may include a firstbidirectional radio and a second bidirectional radio, without anyunidirectional radio. The first bidirectional radio may include a radiothat operates within a protected or unprotected frequency band. Forexample, the first bidirectional radio may operate in a ISM or WMTSfrequency. The second bidirectional radio may include a cellular radiofor communicating in a cellular network. The first and secondbidirectional radios may provide a large coverage area so that a patientcan be monitored at a hospital location and/or a variety of non-hospitallocations, such as within an ambulance or a home of a patient. In oneembodiment, the portable telemetry device may include two bidirectionalradios and a unidirectional radio. For example, the unidirectional radiomay operate within a protected WMTS band, the first bidirectional radiomay operate within an ISM band (such as a Wi-Fi frequency), and thesecond bidirectional radio may operate within a licensed bandcorresponding to a cellular network.

A detailed description of systems and methods consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure is provided below. While severalembodiments are described, it should be understood that disclosure isnot limited to any one embodiment, but instead encompasses numerousalternatives, modifications, and equivalents. In addition, whilenumerous specific details are set forth in the following description inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosedherein, some embodiments can be practiced without some or all of thesedetails. Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, certain technicalmaterial that is known in the related art has not been described indetail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating atelemetry system 106 and a portable telemetry device 102 for medicaltelemetry. In one embodiment, the portable telemetry device 102 includesa telemetry device worn by a patient. For example, the patient may befree to walk or move while wearing the portable telemetry device 102 dueto size and capability for wireless communication.

The portable telemetry device 102 may include a portable devicecomprising a housing containing a processor, circuitry, computerreadable memory, antenna, radios, and/or the like. The portabletelemetry device 102 may have a size such that it can be worn by apatient while allowing the patient to move freely. The telemetry device102 may include one or more ports for coupling to sensors and receivingsignals from the sensors. The portable telemetry device 102 may includea human-machine interface, which may include a display, one or morebuttons, and/or indicator lights to allow a human to determine a statusof the portable telemetry device 102, enter information, or otherwiseinteract with the portable telemetry device 102.

The portable telemetry device 102 is in wireless communication with thetelemetry system 106. Connected to the telemetry device 102 are aplurality of sensors 104 which may be used to measure patient parametersand/or obtain patient waveforms. For example, the sensors 104 mayinclude one or more electrocardiography (ECG) sensors, a pulse oximetrysensor (e.g., SpO₂), and/or any other sensors. The portable telemetrydevice 102 may receive signals from the sensors 104 as analog or digitaldata signals indicating a physiological condition of a patient. Theportable telemetry device 102 may transmit physiological data to thetelemetry system 106 using a unidirectional radio. For example, thetelemetry device 102 may forward processed or unprocessed sensor data tothe telemetry system 106 so that a doctor, nurse, or other medicalpersonnel can monitor a condition of the patient.

In one embodiment, the portable telemetry device 102 may transmit thephysiological data as numerical and/or waveform data using a protectedfrequency using a unidirectional radio. The data may be sent at definedintervals or may be sent every time a buffer is filled with new patientdata. In one embodiment, the portable telemetry device 102 may also sendan identifier which identifies the patient or portable telemetry device102 to which the physiological data corresponds. The portable telemetrydevice 102 may also include a bidirectional radio that can be used forbidirectional communication with the telemetry system 106 to receiveand/or send control data.

The telemetry system 106 may include a computing device such as acomputer, server, or the like. The telemetry system 106 may include aprocessor, circuitry, computer readable memory, antenna, radios,communication ports, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the telemetrysystem 106 includes a computing system for a central nursing station.For example, the telemetry system 106 may include a computing system foran intensive care ward, step down ward, or in-patient ward.

The telemetry system 106 receives the physiological data from theportable telemetry device 102 and stores and/or processes thephysiological data. In one embodiment, the telemetry system 106 storesthe physiological data in memory for later access and/or analysis. Inone embodiment, the telemetry system 106 processes the physiologicaldata to detect problems for the patient, detect whether there is analarm condition, or perform other analysis. For example, the telemetrysystem 106 may report an alarm condition to a nurse, doctor, or othermedical personnel.

The telemetry system 106 may also provide control data to the portabletelemetry device 102 to configure alarm settings, reset alarms,determine a state or location of the portable telemetry device 102,transfer stored data, or otherwise configure operation of the portabletelemetry device 102. In one embodiment, the telemetry system 106 maysend and receive control data between the portable telemetry device 102to determine that messages were received or that instructionscorresponding to control data were performed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating components of aportable telemetry device 102, according to one embodiment. The portabletelemetry device 102 is shown with a measurement component 202, aunidirectional radio 204, a bidirectional radio 206, a communicationcomponent 208, a radio backup component 210, and an energy component212. The components 202-212 are given by way of example only and may notall be included in all embodiments. In one embodiment, the portabletelemetry device 102 may be used for patient monitoring within ahospital, ambulance, home, or other environment.

The measurement component 202 receives physiological data from one ormore sensors. The measurement component 202 may include a port where asensor, cable, or one or more leads of a sensor can be coupled to theportable telemetry device 102. The measurement component 202 may receivethe physiological data in analog, digital, or other format. In oneembodiment, the measurement component 202 receives the physiologicaldata in an analog format and converts the data to a digital format forcommunication to a telemetry system 106.

The unidirectional radio 204 and bidirectional radio 206 are configuredto communicate with a telemetry system 106 in different frequencies orfrequency bands. The unidirectional radio 204 includes a transmitter butomits a receiver or receiver circuitry. The omission of a receiverand/or receiver circuitry for the unidirectional radio 204 simplifiesthe radio and may reduce costs, energy usage, or the like. In oneembodiment, the unidirectional radio 204 includes an inactive receiveror receiver circuitry. In one embodiment, the unidirectional radio 204includes an antenna and circuitry configured to transmit signals in aVHF or UHF frequency. The unidirectional radio 204 may be configured totransmit signals at a licensed or protected frequency, such as within afrequency band defined by the WMTS. Example frequency bands within whichthe unidirectional radio 204 may transmit signals include a 608 to 614MHz frequency band, a 1395 to 1400 MHz frequency band, and a 1427 to1432 MHz frequency band. Because the unidirectional radio 204 is onlyconfigured to transmit signals, the portable telemetry device 102 may beincapable of receiving signals within a frequency band in which theunidirectional radio 204 is configured to transmit signals.

In one embodiment, the unidirectional radio 204 may be used to transmittime sensitive or critical data to the telemetry system. For example,the unidirectional radio 204 may operate in a frequency range that islicensed and thus may be better managed and less likely to experienceharmful interference. In one embodiment, the time-sensitive or criticaldata may include the physiological data that is representative of acurrent physiological condition of an attached patient. Thephysiological data may include data regarding cardiac health,respirations, oxygen levels, or data regarding any other physiologicalcondition of a patient. Alternatively or additionally, the timesensitive or critical data may include identification information and/oran alarm signal. The identification information may include a patientidentifier number that corresponds to the patient at check-in or may beany other identifier used to identify patients. The alarm signal mayinclude a signal that is transmitted when an alarm condition is met.Example alarm conditions may include high or low heart rates, high orlow breathing rates, high or low oxygen levels, or any otherphysiological condition. Other alarm conditions are also possibleregarding a state of the portable telemetry device 102. The signalstransmitted by the unidirectional radio 204 may be received by areceiver of the telemetry system 106 for storage, monitoring,processing, or other usage.

The bidirectional radio 206 is configured to both transmit and receivesignals within a corresponding wireless frequency band. In oneembodiment, the unidirectional radio 204 and the bidirectional radio 206may be configured to operate within non-overlapping frequency bands. Forexample, the unidirectional radio 204 may operate within a licensedwireless spectrum while the bidirectional radio 206 operates within anunlicensed wireless spectrum. In one embodiment, the bidirectional radio206 may operate within an unlicensed ISM band such as a 2.4 to 2.5 GHzrange and a 5.725 to 5.875 GHz range. The bidirectional radio 206 mayinclude an off-the-shelf radio such as an 802.11 radio.

The bidirectional radio 206 is capable of bidirectional communication(reception and transmission) with the telemetry system 106. In oneembodiment, the bidirectional radio 206 may be used for a controlchannel or for control data between the portable telemetry device 102and the telemetry system 106. For example, the bidirectional radio 206may be used to receive control data to configure operation of theportable telemetry device 102 and/or acknowledge to a telemetry system106 that a signal was received or an instruction performed. Examples ofcontrol data that may be sent between the portable telemetry device 102and the telemetry system 106 include alarm limit data, alarm reset data,configuration data for the portable telemetry device 102, and storedpatient data as well as acknowledgement signals or the like.

The communication component 208 controls operation of the radios 204,206 and what data is sent over which radio. For example, thecommunication component 208 may transmit the physiological data usingthe unidirectional radio 204 and transmit and receive control data usingthe bidirectional radio 206. In one embodiment, the communicationcomponent 208 transmits time-sensitive data over the unidirectionalradio 204. The time-sensitive data may include data that is critical formonitoring a patient such as the physiological data received fromsensors, patient identification information, and/or an alarm signal. Inone embodiment, the communication component 208 transmits non-criticalor non-time-sensitive data over the bidirectional radio 206. Exampledata to be transmitted and/or received using the bidirectional radio 206may include control data that configures operation of the portabletelemetry device 102 or the telemetry system 106. For example, thecommunication component 208 may use the bidirectional radio 206 to sendor receive one or more of alarm limit data, alarm reset data,configuration data for the portable telemetry device 102, and storedpatient data. The alarm limit data may include data that defines limits,which when exceeded or fallen below, will trigger an alarm. The portabletelemetry device 102 may configure alarm settings based on the alarmlimit data. The alarm reset data may include data that indicates that analarm should be reset. For example, after an alarm is triggered, a nurseor other medical personnel may check on the patient. The nurse may causean alarm reset signal to be sent to indicate that an issue is beingaddressed or that an issue has been resolved. The configuration data mayindicate what physiological data to report, how frequently it should bereported, or the like. In one embodiment, the configuration data mayinclude a battery level of the portable telemetry device 102 orotherwise indicate whether the portable telemetry device 102 isoperating correctly.

The radio backup component 210 is configured to route physiological dataor time-sensitive data over the bidirectional radio 206 when theunidirectional radio 204 is out of range and the bidirectional radio isstill in range. For example, the telemetry system 106 may indicate,using control data, that the unidirectional radio 204 of the portabletelemetry device 106 is out of range and instructs the portabletelemetry device 102 to begin sending physiological data, or other datatypes previously transmitted using the unidirectional radio 204, overthe bidirectional radio 206.

The energy component 212 may help reduce energy usage of the portabletelemetry device 102 by reducing energy consumption of the bidirectionalradio 206. In one embodiment, the energy component 212 reduces a dutycycle of a bidirectional radio 206 to reduce energy consumption. In oneembodiment, the energy component 212 includes a clock with a variablecycle rates or two or more clocks with different cycle rates which canbe used to affect the duty cycle of the portable telemetry device 102.In one embodiment, the bidirectional radio 206 may include a radio thatis capable of handling high data rates but also consumes more energywhen the high data rates are used. The energy component 212 may placethe bidirectional radio 206 in a low power state or low duty cycle statesuch that bidirectional communication may be maintained but reduces theamount of energy needed to operate the bidirectional radio 206. In someembodiments, the bidirectional radio 206 may only be required tocommunicate or receive control data at very low data rates or very lowduty cycles. However, if the radio backup component 210 causes thebidirectional radio 206 to take over for the unidirectional radio 204,the increased capability may be desirable. The energy component 212 maydynamically increase or reduce the duty cycle based on whetherphysiological, or other potentially time-critical data, is beingtransmitted or received using the bidirectional radio 206. In oneembodiment, the energy component 212 defaults to causing thebidirectional radio 206 to operate at a reduced duty cycle and thenincreases the duty cycle if the bidirectional radio 206 takes over forthe unidirectional radio 204 in transmitting physiological data. In oneembodiment, the bidirectional radio 206 may have a reduced duty cyclethat increases energy efficiency but is not dynamically configurable.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating components of atelemetry system 106, according to one embodiment. The telemetry system106 includes a storage component 302, a control component 304, a routingcomponent 304, and an alarm component 308. The telemetry system 106 isconnected to, and may include, a first radio 310 configured to operatein a first wireless frequency and a second radio 312 configured tooperate in a second wireless frequency. In one embodiment, the telemetrysystem 106 is configured to communicate with a plurality of portabletelemetry devices 102.

In one embodiment, the first radio 310 includes a receiver that isconfigured to operate in a same frequency band as the unidirectionalradio 204 of a portable telemetry device 102. In one embodiment, thefirst radio 310 is configured to receive and/or transmit signals withina licensed frequency band, such as a band of the WMTS. Examples ofoperating frequencies include a 608 to 614 MHz range, a 1395 to 1400 MHzrange, and a 1427 to 1432 MHz range.

Similarly, the second radio 312 may include a receiver and transmitterthat are configured to operate in a same frequency band as thebidirectional radio 206 of a portable telemetry device 102. Using thefirst and second radios 310, 312, the telemetry system 106 is configuredto send data to and receive data from a portable telemetry device 102,such as the portable telemetry device 102 of FIG. 2. The second radio312 may operate within an ISM radio band such as a 2.4 to 2.5 gigahertz(GHz) range and/or a 5.725 to 5.875 GHz range. In one embodiment, thesecond radio 312 may include an off-the-shelf radio such as a Wi-Firadio implementing an 802.11 standard. In one embodiment, the telemetrysystem 106 may communicate with a portable telemetry device 102 based ona reduced duty cycle of a bidirectional radio 206 of the portabletelemetry device 102.

The storage component 302 stores physiological data received by theradios 310 and 312. When physiological data is received, the storagecomponent 302 may identify a patient that corresponds to the data andstore the physiological data in a database or location corresponding tothe patient. For example, the physiological data may be transmitted witha patient identifier. The storage component 302 may look up theidentifier to determine where the physiological data should be stored.In one embodiment, a plurality of different patients within a hospitalor other medical center may be wearing portable telemetry devices 102.The storage component 302 may store physiological data received fromeach patient worn portable telemetry device 102 separately to maintainthe data separately and/or securely.

The control component 304 controls the telemetry system 106 and/or oneor more portable telemetry devices 102 by modifying settings and sendingor receiving control data. In one embodiment, the control component 304modifies settings by sending control data that includes alarm limitdata, alarm reset data, configuration data for the portable telemetrydevice 102, and/or stored patient data. For example, alarm limit datamay be entered by medical personnel at a patient location or otherlocation which may then be provided to the telemetry system 106 or theportable telemetry device 102. The control component 304 may then sendthe alarm limit data to the portable telemetry device 102 or receive thealarm limit data from the portable telemetry device 102 to configure thealarm limit. In one embodiment, after an alarm is detected a nurse mayselect an option to reset an alarm. Alarm reset data may then be sent bythe control component 304 to the portable telemetry device 102 to placethe portable telemetry device 102 in a non-alarm state. Alternatively,if the option to reset the alarm is selected on the portable telemetrydevice 102, the control component 304 may receive the reset data fromthe portable telemetry device 102 and update information to indicatethat the portable telemetry device 102 is no longer in an alarm state.

The configuration data for the portable telemetry device 102 may includedata indicating which radio should be used for certain types of datacommunications or may indicate a remaining battery level or energy stateof the portable telemetry device 102. For example, the configurationdata may indicate a length of a duty cycle at which the bidirectionalradio 206 should operate. Similarly, the control component 304 may sendcontrol data at a rate or interval corresponding to the duty cycle ofthe portable telemetry device 102. The configuration data may alsoinclude information identifying a current patient corresponding to aspecific portable telemetry device 102. Upon receipt of theconfiguration data, the portable telemetry device 102 may updatecorresponding settings or information to operate in accordance with thereceived configuration data or other control data. In one embodiment,the control component 304 may instruct the portable telemetry device 102to send all or a portion of patient data stored in the portabletelemetry device 102 to the telemetry system 106. Transmission of storeddata may be done, for example, before configuring the portable telemetrydevice 102 for another patient or before powering off the portabletelemetry device 102. In one embodiment, the control component 304 mayalso provide control data that instructs the portable telemetry device102 to send physiological data over the bidirectional radio 206.

The routing component 306 controls what type of data is sent or receivedusing which radio. For example, the routing component 306 may determinethat the telemetry system 106 and portable telemetry device 102 shouldoperate according to a default routing configuration or a backup routingconfiguration. In the default routing configuration, physiological data,and/or other time-sensitive data, is communicated over a wirelessfrequency corresponding to the first radio 310 and the unidirectionalradio 204 while control data is communicated over a wireless frequencycorresponding to the second radio 312 and the bidirectional radio 206.In the backup routing configuration, all data, including physiologicaldata and control data, is sent using the wireless frequencycorresponding to the second radio 312 and the bidirectional radio 206.

In one embodiment, the routing component 306 determines which routingconfiguration should be used based on whether or not a unidirectionalradio 204 is in range of the first radio 310 and/or whether or not abidirectional radio 206 is in range of the second radio 312. Forexample, if both the unidirectional radio 204 and the bidirectionalradio 206 are within range, the routing component 306 may cause thetelemetry system 106 and portable telemetry device 102 to operateaccording to the default routing configuration. On the other hand, ifthe unidirectional radio 204 is out of range and the bidirectional radio206 is within range, the routing component 306 may cause the telemetrysystem 106 and the portable telemetry device 102 to operate according tothe backup routing configuration. The routing component 306 may dictateor set a current routing configuration by causing the control component304 to send control data notifying the portable telemetry device 102 ofthe current routing configuration. In the case where the bidirectionalradio 206 is out of range, the routing component 306 may not be able tochange the routing setting and may allow the telemetry system 106 tocontinue to receive physiological data over the wireless frequencycorresponding to the first radio 310 and the unidirectional radio 204,if available.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portable telemetry device102 in different communication environments, which may affect a currentrouting configuration for the portable telemetry device 102. Region A402 is a region where the portable telemetry device 102 is within rangeof both the first radio 310 and the second radio 312. The routingcomponent 306 may determine that both the unidirectional radio 204 andbidirectional radio 206 are within range based on the receipt of signalsby the first radio 310 and the second radio 312. In this situation, therouting component 306 may set or keep the current routing setting in thedefault routing configuration.

Region B 404 is a region where the portable telemetry device 102 iswithin range of the second radio 312 but not the first radio 310. Therouting component 306 may determine that the unidirectional radio 204 isout of range because the first radio 310 (or other first radios) is notreceiving signals from the unidirectional radio 204 of the portabletelemetry device 102. The routing component 306 may determine that thebidirectional radio 206 is within range based on the receipt of signalsfrom the portable telemetry device 102 by the second radio 312. In thissituation, the routing component 306 may set or keep the current routingsetting in the default routing configuration.

The telemetry system 106 may include, or be in communication with, aplurality of first radios 310 and second radios 312. For example, afirst region of a hospital may be within a coverage area of a pluralityof first radios 310 used for receiving signals within a wirelessfrequency corresponding to unidirectional radios 204 of one or moreportable telemetry devices 102. A second region of a hospital may bewithin a coverage area of a plurality of second radios 312 used forreceiving signals within a wireless frequency corresponding tobidirectional radios 206 of the one or more portable telemetry devices102. The first and second regions may include at least partiallyoverlapping regions such that the one or more portable telemetry devices102 are within range of both first and second radios 310, 312 within atleast some areas of the hospital. In some embodiments, the telemetrysystem 106 may also be in communication with second radios 312 locatedwithin an ambulance or home of a patient. For example, a portabletelemetry device 102 that is located on a patient at the patient's homemay communicate with a wireless router (second radio 312) at thepatient's home to send physiological and/or control data to thetelemetry system 106. Similarly, a portable telemetry device 102 that islocated on a patient within an ambulance or other emergency vehicle maycommunicate with a wireless router (second radio 312) in the vehicle tosend physiological and/or control data to the telemetry system 106. Inone embodiment, second radios 312 may send data to the telemetry systemvia one or more intervening networks such as the Internet.

Returning to FIG. 3, the alarm component 308 detects an alarm or alarmstate for the portable telemetry device 102. In one embodiment, thealarm component 308 detects the alarm or alarm state by receiving analarm signal from the portable telemetry device 102. For example, thealarm signal may be sent by the portable telemetry device 102 using theunidirectional radio 204, in which case the alarm signal would bereceived using the first radio 310. Alternatively, the alarm signal maybe sent by the portable telemetry device 102 using the bidirectionalradio 206, for example, if the current routing configuration is thebackup routing configuration. In one embodiment, the alarm component 308is configured to detect an alarm state and determine whether anyreceived physiological data falls outside of an alarm limit or otherwiseindicates an alarm state. For example, the alarm component 308 maydetermine whether a pulse for the patient is above an upper limit orbelow a lower limit. Similar determinations may be made with any type ofreceived physiological data that is representative of the health of apatient.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method 500 forwireless telemetry, according to one embodiment. The method 500 may beperformed by a portable telemetry device 102, such as a patient worntelemetry device. In one embodiment, the method 500 is performed by theportable telemetry device 102 of FIG. 2.

The method 500 begins and a measurement component 202 receives 502physiological data from at least one sensor. The measurement component202 may receive sensor signals over a wired connection with one or moresensors attached to a patient. For example, a portable telemetry device102 may be worn by a patient and the one or more sensors may be attachedto the patient to determine a physiological condition of the patient.The measurement component 202 may receive these signals in analog ordigital form. In one embodiment, the measurement component 202 processesthe signals from the sensor(s) to create processed physiological datathat includes numerical and/or waveform data.

A unidirectional radio 204 transmits 504 the physiological data to areceiver in a first wireless frequency band. The physiological data mayinclude processed or unprocessed sensor data. The unidirectional radio204 may transmit 504 the physiological data in a licensed frequencyband, such as a frequency range defined by the WMTS. The unidirectionalradio 204 may transmit 504 the physiological data for receipt by atelemetry system 106 that includes a first radio 310 that is withinrange of the unidirectional radio 204. The unidirectional radio 204 maybe directed to transmit 504 the physiological data and/or other data bya communication component 208.

A bidirectional radio 206 transmits and receives 506 control data in asecond wireless frequency. The second wireless frequency may be locatedwithin an unlicensed spectrum such as an unlicensed ISM band. Thebidirectional radio 206 may include an off-the-shelf radio such as anIEEE 802.11 radio. The bidirectional radio 206 may transmit and receive506 the control data to communicate with a telemetry system 106 thatincludes a second radio 312 that is within range of the bidirectionalradio 206. The bidirectional radio 206 may be directed to transmit andreceive 506 the control data and/or other data by a communicationcomponent 208. In one embodiment, the control data configures operationof one or more of the portable telemetry device 102 and a telemetrysystem 106 in communication with the portable telemetry device 102.

In a further embodiment, the method 500 may also include routing alldata, including physiological data or other time-sensitive data, overthe bidirectional radio 206. For example, a radio backup component 210may determine that the unidirectional radio 204 is not in range of afirst radio 310 while the bidirectional radio 206 is in range of asecond radio 312. In one embodiment, the radio backup component 210 maydetermine that the unidirectional radio 204 is not in range, or that alldata should be routed over the bidirectional radio 206, based on controldata sent by the telemetry system 106.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method 600 forwireless telemetry, according to one embodiment. The method 600 may beperformed by a telemetry system 106, such as the telemetry system ofFIG. 3.

The method 600 begins and the telemetry system 106 receives 602 signalsin a first wireless frequency band via a first radio 310. The firstwireless frequency band may correspond to an operating frequency of aunidirectional radio 204 of a portable telemetry device 102. Forexample, the first wireless frequency band may include a licensedfrequency band such as a band defined by the WMTS.

The telemetry system 600 transmits and receives 604 signals in a secondwireless frequency band using a second radio 312. The second wirelessfrequency band may correspond to an operating frequency of abidirectional radio 206 of a portable telemetry device 102. For example,the second wireless frequency band may include a licensed frequency bandsuch as a band within an ISM band. The second radio 312 may include anoff-the-shelf radio, such as an IEEE 802.11 radio.

A storage component 302 stores 606 physiological data received from apatient worn telemetry device. For example, the physiological data maybe included in a signal received 602 in the first wireless frequencyband by the first radio 310 when the patient worn telemetry device is ina default routing configuration. When the patient worn telemetry deviceis in a backup routing configuration, the physiological data may bereceived in the second frequency band using the second radio 312. Thestorage component 302 may store 606 the physiological data based on apatient identifier sent with the physiological data or an identifier ofthe patient worn telemetry device. For example, the storage component302 may look up a received identifier to determine where thephysiological data should be stored 606.

A control component 304 controls 608 operation of the telemetry system106 and/or the patient worn telemetry device based on control datatransmitted and received using the second wireless frequency band. Forexample, the control data may be included in signals transmitted andreceived 604 by the second radio 312. The control data may include oneor more of alarm limit data, alarm reset data, configuration data forthe portable telemetry device, and stored patient data. In oneembodiment, the control data includes data managing a communicationchannel over the first wireless frequency band and/or the secondwireless frequency band. For example, the control data may includescheduling for sending and/or receiving wireless messages at thetelemetry system 106 or the patient worn telemetry device. In oneembodiment, the control data includes data indicating a current routingconfiguration for the patient worn telemetry device. In one embodiment,the control component 304 may modify settings of the patient worntelemetry device by sending control data to configure or modify thesettings. Similarly, the control component 304 may configure how thetelemetry system 106 communicates with the patient worn telemetry devicebased on control data received from the portable telemetry device 102.

In a further embodiment, the method 600 may also include determining andsetting a current routing configuration for the patient worn telemetrydevice. For example, a routing component 306 may determine whether aunidirectional radio 204 and/or a bidirectional radio 206 is withinrange of corresponding first or second radios 310, 312. For example, therouting component 306 may set the current routing configuration to adefault routing configuration when the unidirectional radio 204 iswithin range of a first radio 310. Similarly, the routing component 306may set the current routing configuration to a backup routingconfiguration when the unidirectional radio 204 is out of range of afirst radio 310 and the bidirectional radio 206 is within range of asecond radio 312. In one embodiment, the default routing configurationcauses the physiological data, or other potentially time-sensitive data,to be communicated using the first wireless frequency band while controldata is communicated using the second wireless frequency band. In thebackup routing configuration, all data may be communicated between thetelemetry system 106 and the portable telemetry device 102 using thesecond wireless frequency band.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating components of aportable telemetry device 700, according to another embodiment. Similarto the portable telemetry device 102 of FIG. 2, the portable telemetrydevice 700 includes a measurement component 202, a unidirectional radio204, a first bidirectional radio 206, a communication component 208, aradio backup component 210, and an energy component 212. However, theportable telemetry device 700 also includes a second bidirectional radio702, and the unidirectional radio 204 may be omitted, in someembodiments. Any of the features, functions, structures, or variationsdiscussed in relation to components 202-212 may also be included in theportable telemetry device 700 of FIG. 7.

In one embodiment, the inclusion of two bidirectional radios may allowthe portable telemetry device 700 to have more dependable coverageand/or have a larger coverage area. In one embodiment, the firstbidirectional radio 206 may operate in an unlicensed spectrum such as anISM spectrum or any other unlicensed spectrum. Thus, the firstbidirectional radio 206 may include off-the-shelf parts and/or operateaccording to a Wi-Fi or other standard to reduce development and/orpurchase costs. In one embodiment, the second bidirectional radio 702may operate in a licensed spectrum. For example, the secondbidirectional radio 702 may transmit and receive signals in a licensedspectrum corresponding to a WMTS or other specific medical service. Inone embodiment, if the second bidirectional radio 702 may operate in afrequency band different from the unidirectional radio 204. For example,the second bidirectional radio 702 may operate in a licensed spectrumcorresponding to a cellular network 702. This may allow the portabletelemetry device 700 to provide patient data from almost any location.Thus, a patient may be able to travel to various locations while beingmonitored. Similarly, the portable telemetry device 700 may be used tomonitor the patient as the patient is transferred between one or more ofa home, hospital, ambulance, or the like. In one embodiment, firstbidirectional radio 206 may be used for a licensed spectrum, such as adedicated medical service (e.g., the WMTS) while the secondbidirectional radio may be used for a different licensed spectrum, suchas for communicating with a cellular network. In one embodiment, thefirst bidirectional radio 206 provides short-range coverage and thesecond bidirectional radio 702 provides a larger wide-ranging coveragearea.

Various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take theform of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media,such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storagemedium, wherein when the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing the various techniques. In the case of program code executionon programmable computers, the computing device may include a processor,a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile andnon-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device,and at least one output device. The volatile and non-volatile memoryand/or storage elements may be a RAM, an EPROM, a flash drive, anoptical drive, a magnetic hard drive, or another medium for storingelectronic data. The eNB (or other base station) and UE (or other mobilestation) may also include a transceiver component, a counter component,a processing component, and/or a clock component or timer component. Oneor more programs that may implement or utilize the various techniquesdescribed herein may use an application programming interface (API),reusable controls, and the like. Such programs may be implemented in ahigh-level procedural or an object-oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) may beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

It should be understood that many of the functional units described inthis specification may be implemented as one or more components, whichis a term used to more particularly emphasize their implementationindependence. For example, a component may be implemented as a hardwarecircuit comprising custom very large scale integration (VLSI) circuitsor gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips,transistors, or other discrete components. A component may also beimplemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmablegate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, orthe like.

Components may also be implemented in software for execution by varioustypes of processors. An identified component of executable code may, forinstance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computerinstructions, which may, for instance, be organized as an object, aprocedure, or a function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identifiedcomponent need not be physically located together, but may comprisedisparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joinedlogically together, comprise the component and achieve the statedpurpose for the component.

Indeed, a component of executable code may be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within components, and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork. The components may be passive or active, including agentsoperable to perform desired functions.

Reference throughout this specification to “an example” means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an example” in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositionalelements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list forconvenience. However, these lists should be construed as though eachmember of the list is individually identified as a separate and uniquemember. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as ade facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based onits presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.In addition, various embodiments and examples of the present inventionmay be referred to herein along with alternatives for the variouscomponents thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples,and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of oneanother, but are to be considered as separate and autonomousrepresentations of the present invention.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope ofthe present invention should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

1. A portable telemetry device comprising: a measurement componentconfigured to receive, from at least one sensor, physiological datarepresentative of a physiological condition of a patient; aunidirectional radio configured to transmit signals in a first wirelessfrequency band; a bidirectional radio configured to transmit and receivesignals in a second wireless frequency band, wherein the second wirelessfrequency band does not overlap with the first wireless frequency band;and a communication component configured to: in a default routingconfiguration, transmit the physiological data using the unidirectionalradio and simultaneously transmit and receive control data using thebidirectional radio, wherein the control data is used for controllingoperation of the portable telemetry device, and in a backup routingconfiguration, switch the physiological data between the non-overlappingfrequency bands of the unidirectional radio and the bidirectional radio,such that the physiological data is transmitted using the bidirectionalradio and the control data is received using the bidirectional radio,wherein the communication component is configured to transition from thedefault routing configuration to the backup routing configuration inresponse to a determination that the unidirectional radio isdisconnected from a corresponding receiver, said portable telemetrydevice being configured as a single, portable, patient-associated,hybrid unit.
 2. The portable telemetry device of claim 1, furthercomprising a backup component configured to route the physiological dataover the bidirectional radio when the unidirectional radio is out ofrange and the bidirectional radio is in range.
 3. The portable telemetrydevice of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured totransmit time-sensitive data over the unidirectional radio, thetime-sensitive data comprising one or more of the physiological data,patient identification information, and an alarm signal.
 4. The portabletelemetry device of claim 1, wherein the control data comprises one ormore of alarm limit data, alarm reset data, configuration data for theportable telemetry device, and stored patient data.
 5. The portabletelemetry device of claim 1, further comprising an energy componentconfigured to reduce a duty cycle of the bidirectional radio to reduceenergy usage.
 6. The portable telemetry device of claim 1, wherein thesecond wireless frequency band comprises a frequency band in anindustrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio band.
 7. The portabletelemetry device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless frequency bandcomprises a frequency band within a range defined by a wireless medicaltelemetry service (WMTS).
 8. The portable telemetry device of claim 1,further comprising a second bidirectional radio configured to operate ina third wireless frequency band.
 9. A portable telemetry devicecomprising: a measurement component configured to receive, from at leastone sensor, physiological data representative of a physiologicalcondition of a patient; a unidirectional radio configured to transmitsignals in a first wireless frequency band; a bidirectional radioconfigured to transmit and receive signals in a second wirelessfrequency band; a communication component configured to, in a defaultrouting configuration, transmit the physiological data using theunidirectional radio and concurrently transmit and receive control datausing the bidirectional radio, wherein the control data is used forcontrolling operation of the portable telemetry device; a backupcomponent configured to, in a backup routing configuration, route thephysiological data over the bidirectional radio when the unidirectionalradio is out of range of a corresponding receiver and the bidirectionalradio is in range of a corresponding receiver, wherein the communicationcomponent is configured to transition from the default routingconfiguration to the backup routing configuration in response to adetermination that the unidirectional radio is disconnected from acorresponding receiver; said portable telemetry device being configuredas a single, portable, patient-associated, hybrid unit.
 10. A method formedical telemetry comprising: receiving, at a portable telemetry device,physiological data representative of a physiological condition of apatient from at least one sensor, said portable telemetry being asingle, portable, patient-associated, hybrid unit; transmitting, in adefault routing configuration: the physiological data to a receiver in afirst wireless frequency band using a unidirectional radio configured totransmit data in the first wireless frequency band, and transmittingconcurrently control data in a second wireless frequency band using abidirectional radio configured to transmit and receive signals in thesecond wireless frequency band; transmitting, in a backup routingconfiguration, the physiological data between the non-overlappingfrequency bands of the unidirectional radio and the bidirectional radio,such that the physiological data is transmitted using the bidirectionalradio and the control data is received using the bidirectional radio,wherein the second wireless frequency band does not overlap with thefirst wireless frequency band, and wherein the control data configuresoperation of one or more of the portable telemetry device and atelemetry system in communication with the portable telemetry device.11. The method of claim 10, further comprising routing the physiologicaldata over the bidirectional radio when the unidirectional radio is outof range of the telemetry system and the bidirectional radio is in rangeof the telemetry system.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereintransmitting the physiological data comprises transmittingtime-sensitive data over the unidirectional radio, wherein thetime-sensitive data comprises one or more of the physiological data,patient identification information, and an alarm signal.
 13. The methodof claim 10, wherein the control data comprises one or more of alarmlimit data, alarm reset data, and stored patient data.
 14. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising reducing a duty cycle of the bidirectionalradio to reduce energy usage.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein thesecond wireless frequency band comprises a frequency band in anindustrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio band.
 16. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the first wireless frequency band comprises afrequency band within a range defined by a wireless medical telemetryservice (WMTS).
 17. A telemetry system comprising: a first radioconfigured to receive signals in a first wireless frequency band; asecond radio configured to simultaneously transmit and receive signalsin a second wireless frequency band, wherein the second wirelessfrequency band does not overlap with the first wireless frequency band;a storage component configured to store physiological data received bythe first radio from a patient worn telemetry device, the physiologicaldata representative of a physiological condition of a patient, each saidpatient worn telemetry device being a single, portable,patient-associated, hybrid unit configured to transmit data selectivelyon either or both of the first and second wireless frequency bands; anda control component configured to control operation of one or more ofthe telemetry system and the patient worn telemetry device based oncontrol data transmitted and received using the second radio.
 18. Thetelemetry system of claim 17, further comprising a routing componentconfigured to provide control data to instruct the patient worntelemetry device to route the physiological data over the secondwireless frequency when a unidirectional radio of the patient worntelemetry device is out of range of the first radio and a bidirectionalradio of the patient worn telemetry device is within range of the secondradio.
 19. The telemetry system of claim 17, wherein the telemetrysystem is configured to receive time-sensitive data over the firstradio, the time-sensitive data comprising one or more of thephysiological data, patient identification information, and an alarmsignal.
 20. The telemetry system of claim 17, wherein the control datacomprises one or more of alarm limit data, alarm reset data,configuration data for the portable telemetry device, and stored patientdata.
 21. The telemetry system of claim 17, wherein the second radio isconfigured to transmit and receive signals in the second wirelessfrequency based on a reduced duty cycle of a bidirectional radio of thepatient worn telemetry device.
 22. The telemetry system of claim 17,wherein the second wireless frequency band comprises a frequency band inan industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio band.
 23. Thetelemetry system of claim 17, wherein the first wireless frequency bandcomprises a frequency band within a range defined by a wireless medicaltelemetry service (WMTS).
 24. The telemetry system of claim 17, furthercomprising an alarm component configured to detect an alarm state basedon the physiological data received from the patient worn telemetrydevice.
 25. The telemetry system of claim 17, wherein the patient worntelemetry device comprises a first patient worn telemetry device, andwherein the storage component is configured to store physiological datareceived by the first radio from a plurality of patient worn telemetrydevices comprising the patient worn telemetry device.
 26. The telemetrysystem of claim 17, wherein the patient worn telemetry device comprisesa first patient worn telemetry device, and wherein the control componentis configured to modify settings of a plurality of patient worntelemetry devices comprising the first patient worn telemetry devicebased on control data transmitted and received using the second radio.